Another Week in the Books

Hey y'all!

It's been a busy week! Lots of good stuff happening! 

Elyse is AWESOME! We're going to set her on date for baptism and it's going to be great! I'm really excited! :) 

Julia is so sweet! She keeps taking her lunch break to come to church <3 it's really amazing to see her sacrifices.

We had a lesson with Jose on Saturday and he's so sweet! He seemed to enjoy listening to us teach and he really wants to strengthen his faith in Jesus Christ! We're hoping he progresses! 

So, cool story. We were had a feeling that we needed to stop by this guy who used to take the lessons. We pull up and he has signs that say "No Soliciting," and we were trying to figure out what to do. All of a sudden, he comes out of his garage! We didn't get to talk to him very long, but he said we could come by again!

We also found a family who used to talk to missionaries and they said we can come back! It was a good Saturday! 

My testimony today is simple: Jesus Christ is our Savior and with Him, we can become more. 

I hope y'all have a great week! 

Sister Sorensen

1. Back at the chiropractor 

2. Groovy Companions 

3-5. Fencing! I didn't participate because my back is sore :/ next time! ;) 

6-7. Cute swan!

Oh Snap

Hey y'all!

Its been a pretty good week! We had some cool experiences!

So, we got a WHOLE BUNCH of less active referrals from a member in our ward. So we stopped by the one family and as soon as we pulled up and put our bikes up, the dad pulls into the driveway! So we talk to him for some time and it was awesome! Then as soon as we got on our bikes, this man walks across the street and starts talking to us.

He's like, "You called me! Where have you been! I've been waiting for you to come back!" we were like, uhhh... We couldn't remember and we looked all over our AreaBook and couldn't find him! So we got his phone number and we're going to see him on Saturday!

We also did another district blitz and we found a former friend who really wants to come back! <3

JULIA MADE IT TO CHURCH! AND I FINALLY MET DYLAN! He's 9 and sooooooooooo cute! 

Elyse is meeting with us tonight, so that's awesome! 

We had a sisters conference this weekend! It was about being astonishing, using Helaman 5. We did yoga, had workshops (including makeup with free samples!!!!!), and exchanged some clothes! It was fun! And I SAW SIS. BRISCOE!!! I love her so much! 

I went to the chiropractor today and I feel like a whole new person! It's amazing what a little cracking can do ;) Hense the subject line.

I love this gospel! I find a lot of comfort reading the scriptures daily. I love them so much! And I love my Savior! 

Have a great week y'all! 

Sister Sorensen 

At the chiropractor! 

Rain, Rain

Hey y'all!

We finally had a rain storm!!! It was so fun! But I definitely don't have the right attire for rain. It was so funny though because everyone couldn't believe we would walk outside in the rain! 

This week was a little rough. We pounded the pavement and didn't see a lot from it. But, we can go nowhere but up!

Elyse is still sweet as ever! It's so fun being able to see her grow! The temptation to drink sweet tea is gone and when she remembered that I was doing a chocolate fast for her, she was stunned! There are great blessings that come from doing hard things, like fasting! 

Watching President Thomas S. Monson's funeral was a neat experience! Although it's sad that he's no longer with us, we know where he is. His daughter gave a wonderful speech. I'm excited to hear President Nelson's special announcement! 

We start our 40 day sugar fast tomorrow! Our zone has also decided to do a 40 day obedience fast. We write down a list of things we can work on and we tell the Lord every day that we will do NOTHING on that list. It's going to be SO HARD BUT IT'S GOING TO BE GREAT! We need to learn to do hard things! 

As a mission, we have studied the New Testament and its so cool being able to learn SO MUCH about the Savior. It really enhances my Book of Mormon reading because both are testimonies of Jesus Christ. I'm so grateful for the scriptures and the things I can learn from them :)

Have a great week! The Lord loves you and so do I! 

Sister Sorensen

Church Celebrities

Hey y'all!

This week was SO AWESOME! ESPECIALLY THIS WEEKEND! 

So not too much happened at the beginning of the week. We've been doing a lot of finding! On Thursday afternoon, we did exchanges with the STLs and it was super good! We found a new friend, so hopefully that goes well :) right before the end of our exchange on Friday afternoon, we ran into the Spanish sisters and a member PULLS OVER AND IS LIKE GET IN WE'RE GOING TO LUNCH AT GRAND BURGER! So. Good. I love the members here! 

JULIA IS LITERALLY AN ANGEL! She works Sunday mornings and she took her lunch break at 9 am to COME TO CHURCH BECAUSE SHE LOVES IT! And then she asked if she could bring some friends! We were like UH, YES YOU MAY! <3 It's kind of crazy to me how much I love her even though I just barely got here! 

Elyse had a lesson with us tonight and I'm super pumped! She's super cute and strong! She gave up sweet tea to follow the Word of Wisdom and it's been a little tough because she's surrounded by it all. the. time. SO, I decided to do a chocolate fast for her this past week and y'all..... That's been hard! I'm surrounded by chocolate! But I feel like I've gain a better appreciation for my friends who have given up tea and coffee to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

This Saturday, I SAW ELDER OAKS! He's a member of the quorum of the 12 Apostles. As soon as he walked in the spirit just filled the room! He talked to us about being FULL-time missionary, not part time and being focused. He also gave us some teaching advice because he used to teach law. Such a neat experience! 

Thursday was my year mark and I was reading my journal when I got to the MTC. I kept saying how much I already loved the people in Arcadia. But I didn't know what love was then. I literally feel the Savior's love for EVERYONE! I never knew I could love someone so much! I think of Micheal and Alicia and Charles. I will never forget them and I will always carry them in my heart (and my other friends that I've taught). 

I also know that the church is so organized! With the passing of our dear President Monson, we are still able to carry out the Lord's work! It shows that man does not run this church, it is Jesus Christ. 

Sorry for a super long email! So much to share! The Lord loves you and so do I! 

Sister Sorensen 

P. S, Our mission is going on a 40 day sugar fast starting Jan. 16th. Wish me luck!

1-3: ELDER OAKS AND THE WHOLE MISSION! AND I GOT TO SHAKE HIS HAND! "I'm never washing this hand..." - majority of the mission 

4: On exchanges and ran into the Spanish sisters. (l-r Hma. Angomas, Hma. Logan, Sis. Cook, me) 

5: ONE YEAR! WOOO! 

6: Are there still selfie Sundays on the mission?

Glendora

Hey y'all!

So, I love this area... Like a lot! My companion, Sister Wayman, is literally the sweetest human ever! The members are so awesome! I love being a missionary <3

Finding people and getting a hold of our investigators has been a #struggle! With the holidays going on, it's been rough. But, I've met most of our friends and I just love them so much! We have a lesson with Elyse tonight. She's in high school and she's so adorable! I'm super excited. 

I also met Julia and she's such a ball of fire! I love it! I'm so blessed to be able to work with them! 

For those of you who don't know, it's been hard to find any Chick-fil-A's in my past areas. THERE'S A CHICK-FIL-A IN MY AREA NOW AND I'M SO HAPPY! LITERAL TEARS WERE ABOUT TO FALL! We also have a Target in the zone, so that's awesome. Sister Wayman has only been once before, so we're going crazy today! 

I love this work! I'll be out a year on Thursday and that kinda blows my mind! I've had some hard times on my mission, but it's only made me a stronger! I look back and I'm grateful for them. 

Have a  amazing week y'all! The Lord loves you and so do I! 

Sister Sorensen 

P. S, ELDER OAKS IS COMING TO OUR MISSION ON SATURDAY! 

1. Target! 

2. Chick-fil-A